Thirty-five years of ‘militancy’, first as an Italian language teacher since 1989 and then, six years later, as an employee and, as the years went by, the true ‘soul’ of the Institute of Italian Culture in Nairobi.
Anyone who has had anything to do with our language, the dissemination of Italian culture and values related to it, events, conferences and shows, entertainment for children and any initiative linked to our linguistic and cultural heritage, cannot have failed to have come across her smile, her helpfulness and her gentle yet so practical manner that is immersed in Kenyan reality.
Vincenza Pedrini ended her adventure in the cultural office of the Italian Embassy in Kenya yesterday and is enjoying her well-deserved retirement. For the IIC Nairobi is like losing one of its pillars, as well as its historical archive, and any restructuring, however positive and futuristic, will not have the same foundation of humanity and experience. For many compatriots living in Kenya like us, it will also mean no longer having a friendly presence in the office where we have always breathed the air that makes us serenely proud to be Italian.
Through the leadership of several directors who took turns and during phases in which she herself took over the institute, Vincenza has seen Nairobi and Kenya grow culturally, and has contributed to changing the vision and goals of the IIC.

‘When I arrived,’ the historic employee of Lombard origin told us some time ago, ’the Institute still maintained that aura of an elitist institution, somewhat detached from the needs of the metropolis. This did not help to give the image of a foreign institution that was interesting and attractive to the local population, as was the case with many other western institutions. Until then, the Kenyans who approached our events were people who already had a good knowledge of art or Italy and belonged to higher social classes'.
Vincenza, married to a Kenyan professor who arrived there on foot in order to study in Italy, made a personal effort to ‘humanise’ the institute and encourage interaction especially with Nairobi's middle class and young people who were beginning to perceive art and culture not only as hobbies or pleasures, but as possible professions to establish themselves economically.
Thanks to her personal drive, together with her colleague and lifelong friend Annie Petrozzi, who retired a year before her, important initiatives were born, such as the Italian cooking school, film screenings and many shows, literary presentations, educational courses for children and much more.
Vincenza was not only an administrator and organiser, but was able to transform herself from time to time into a set designer, director, costume designer, ‘trovarobe’ and problem solver.

She has been a Virgilian guide for many artists and compatriots who have performed in Kenya, a counsellor for Kenyans who, through language courses, were preparing to go to our country, and at the same time a witness to the evolution of the institute, which has placed alongside academic and classical culture the sphere of science, technology and digital, with more interest in the environment and the new generations.
And in this, too, Vincenza has not missed a beat and indeed, for us, is rejuvenated, thanks to her unwavering and contagious curiosity.
It is not easy to think of her in a dressing gown and apron, to believe that from tomorrow she will intensify her crochet production, one of her many passions, nor that she will devote herself solely to home care and solidarity as she has always done outside of work.
We expect some new things from her, like so many she has promoted and brought to the Italian Cultural Institute of Nairobi in more than thirty years. Best wishes for your new life, Vincenza. And thank you for all you have done over these years to deserve it!